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Doom and gloom. Beware of water and air or water and fire, the very essentials of life.

This is what awaits our tiny island, warn several well-known astrologers after poring over the horoscope of Sri Lanka. Planetary changes bode ill for this country, according to them.

Water or air could be poisoned causing a major disaster and destroying many, many lives in Sri Lanka, the effects of which would be felt for generations to come, stresses Senarath Liyanarachchi, the Slave Island Station Master who dabbles in astrology.

Explaining that he will not go into detail about the position of the planets, he says that the present locations, when taking into account similar patterns that have occurred in other countries in the past, indicate a “very bad period” for Sri Lanka. “Can you remember the Bhopal disaster in India,” he asks, adding that India had the same planetary positions when the chemical leak took place there, killing a large number and harming thousands, the effects of which are felt to this day.

The worst period is from October 12 to November 2, with the apala thathvavaya continuing till July 2007, says Mr. Liyanarachchi giving a time-frame. “The contamination through water or air could take the form of a poison, bacteria or a germ causing an incurable disease being introduced to the system.”

Categorically ruling out a war being launched over a water issue, he says maha vipathak will take place, affecting a massive number of people not through a direct conflict but by an indirect method of poisoning etc. “The scale of the crime would be worse than what Hitler perpetrated,” he says emphatically also recalling the aftermath of the atomic bomb tragedy of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

He pleads for more vigilance on the part of the officials and regular tests to check out contamination.

There may not be another tsunami, according to him but there could be a major flood because the conditions seem just right for such a disaster.

War it will be, with Sri Lanka facing a very bad period from August 30 to October 15, this year, says Wimalasiri Sellaperuma of Panadura, predicting that it will be a dangerous period for a leader of the country and also a high-ranking officer in the security forces.

Revealing how he forewarned a former Army Commander’s wife and daughter that the son-in-law was in grave danger due to his job, when they came to get a nekatha for geta gevadeema (going into a new house) and advised them to get him to take leave, he said: “They indicated that he was unable to take leave.”

“I then told them that I will not give a time because he had a marakaya and asked them to come the following week. Sadly, the young man was killed in action before that week ended,” says Mr. Sellaperuma. “He was in the security forces and I told them water would cause his death – he actually died without water.”

Getting back to what the future holds for Sri Lanka, he says, me maasa keepaya thula uddayak walakwanna bae, explaining that war is inevitable.

Saturn, the Laknadhipathi of Sri Lanka’s horoscope is in the sixth house while Ravi (Sun) and Kuja (Mars) will move into the eighth. All this will generate ill-fortune for the country, with heavy economic burdens for the masses, says this astrologer explaining that it is a peeditha (troubled) period.

Travails and troubles will dog Lanka once again from July 20, 2008 to October 2010, because Saturn will come to the eighth house, says Mr. Sellaperuma. “These all indicate that it will be a time difficult to rule, with numerous obstacles and challenges. Paalanayata baada ethivena parisarayak.”

The people of this country would have apala from fire, electricity and also boiling and normal water, he says.

War or peace? Taking a contradictory position, Niluka Ekanayake of the fairer sex, when we met her in her home in Kiribathgoda is adamant – there will be peace, whoever is around, she says. “This is so after July 5, 2006, with the arrival of Jupiter to kumbha raashiya bagya sthanayata.”

No one will be able to prevent it, she explains adding that saamayata ya yuthu mai. “We will have to go in for peace. The President may have to bear many burdens, losses, even a bad name, but he will have to go for peace. He will have to think out of the box.”

The arrival of Saturn in November will bode ill for the masses. There will be a feeling of unease, dissatisfaction among them. It will be a very bad period for the people, says Mrs. Ekanayake.

“There will also be a weakening of the power of LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran,” she explains, going into detail how she got into her possession the Tiger leader’s horoscope through a famous Indian actress who is a close friend of hers. Prabhakaran is a Taurus and is of the Maha Purusha Yogaya, with four planets in the sixth house. Such people are very dangerous and create havoc in the world. But his fortunes will also change in November. He will never achieve Eelam, she says.

The country too will not fare too well because the stars foretell a bad period in November. The worst period will be 2009, with many disasters, both political and natural, according to her. “There will be food scarcities, sorrow, pain and worker uprisings because of Saturn and Kuja (Mars) which represents blood.”

It will cause turbulence and death, she stresses, warning that government, political and religious leaders could face threats. Some top brass in the security forces may well get disillusioned with the system and leave the country, paving the way for inefficient people to take up such positions, leaving the country weakened.

Amidst the black clouds gathering over Sri Lanka, is there any hope of even a sliver of a silver lining?

The answer lies in prayer, whatever religion one belongs to, urges Mr. Sellaperuma. “Yes, the bad effects can be diluted with prayer and more prayer,” he says appealing to all to begin at village level. “Go to your places of worship and pray,” he says, advising Buddhists to hold suriya, chanda, dajakka and chakka pirith in all temples from 5.45-6.45 p.m. along with the recitation of the thun sutra.”

To pray and hope seem to be the only options for Sri Lankans to ward off the ill-effects of the planets which seem to be ganging up against them.